Russia has cut off its diesel exports – but why? What’s the big plan and how will it affect support for Ukraine?

The Great Game is our weekly editorial on geopolitics and global conflict. The byline of the editorial is Mikkel Rosenvold, former chief strategy consultant at PwC and Danish Ministry of Finance.
Russia has cut off its diesel exports – but why? What’s the big plan and how will it affect support for Ukraine?
Welcome to this week’s Great Game – your weekly overview of global events and how to read them. This week we cover Southern Europe with the current refugee crisis as the starting point. Countries such as Italy, Spain, Croatia and Greece have much better growth rates than Germany, Sweden etc., but they are about to be hit by another massive migration challenge. Why is that and what is to come? Lampedusa under siege Last week as many as 7,000 African refugees landed on the small Italian island of Lampedusa. That’s an enormous number considering that the native Lampedusians number some 6,000. In total, Italy has received almost 126,000 refugees in 2023, which is twice as many as the same period in 2022. While these numbers are in themselves unsustainable, the suddent massive inflow into Lampedusa has overwhelmed the local infrastructure and caused clashes between refugees and local law enforcement. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, paid a visit to Lampedusa over the weekend, reassuring the locals and the Italians that the EU will help out. But how? There is very little will inside the EU to relieve the pressure on Italy by taking actual migrants off their hands and there is no will to deploy heavy weaponry to the Mediterranean to keep migrant boats out. Von der Leyens focus is on strengthening Frontex, the EU agency tasked with keeping migrants out and defending the borders of the continent, as well as aiding the Tunisian and Libyan […]
Joe Biden travels the world taking W’s while Kim Kardashian gets involved on the world stage. Tune in to this week’s Great Game!
President Biden flies to South Asia on a charm offensive. But what can he accomplish and what will the Chinese do?
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Will the Dutch and Danish F16s push back Russia? Will the BRICS be able to muster the global south and fight off the dominance of the USD?
I think Biden’s executive order on investment screening is actually a good sign for US-China relations and a part of the ongoing “mini-detente”. Read why!
Why India might be more important to wheat prices than Ukraine and Russia
Welcome to this week’s overview of global affairs – as always with the relevant takeaways for your portfolio. This week we ask – what are the consequences of the Scandinavian Quran burnings and are we finally headed towards peace talks in Ukraine?
With Spanish voters leaving neither the centre-left or the centre-right with a clear majority – what does the ‘hung parliament’ mean for markets and European politics?
Kerch Bridge is on fire again – are the Russian defences terrified? We take a closer look on what this means for the broader war
3 main takeaways from the historic summit in Lithuania
What is being discussed at the authoritarian’s club – the SCO? What is the mood like after the Prigozhin rebellion? We give you the latest
Who are the winners and losers of Prigozhin’s short-lived rebellion? What does this have to do with ISIS?
Russia is heading into civil war. Is this the end of the line for Putin and what does it mean for Ukraine?
Has Europe shot itself in the foot?
With Ukraine on the counteroffensive, what can we expect? Why aren’t we seeing more Leopard tanks in use? We give you our take!
Why – even after successive cuts – does crude oil keep settling on a $70 barrel? The conundrum has pitted the OPEC+ alliance against each other. Suspicious eyes are turning away from outside foes, and are now looking inwards, trying to sniff out the mole who is free-riding on the collective. Will the imposter be detrimental to Saudi’s production cut strategy?
Will Erdogan win yet again or can Kilicdaroglu prevail? We cover every step of the way with analysis and perspectives.
Steno Research reporting live from Japan where the G7 meeting in Hiroshima just concluded yesterday. Here’s our 7 main takeaways
As China has to battle defaulting governments and brewing civil war across the African continent, they begin to face many of the same sunk cost challenges as other global powers have over the decades. Are the Chinese falling into their own debt trap?
Erdogan or Kilicdaroglu? Turkey heads to the polls and we are following every step of the way!
Why are we getting no news from the Ukrainian Spring Offensive? What is going on with Wagner? Here’s our take!
This week, we cover the sell-off of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Is Joe Biden using the Petroleum Reserve to keep the price at the pumps low or is he simply reacting rationally to OPEC production cuts?
The Ukrainian Spring Offensive is on the way. What should investors look out for? We cover the risks of increased sabotage in the Baltic, new migrant waves headed for Europe as well as disturbances in the global food prices.
A new migrant wave threatens Europe. How will the refugees be used as a tool of war or as an election game changer? We take a closer look at illegal migration to Europe and how the phenomenon continues to shape European politics and economics.
If we learned anything from 2022, it’s that you need to keep your eye on geopolitics as an investor. Gone are the days of American hegemony – now, great power rivalry is back. We give our assessment of key geopolitical situations that investors need to be on top of in Q2 2023
OPEC’s sudden production cut stunned the world on Sunday. Who drove the decision and what does this tell us about OPEC’s future?
As Xi meets Putin – what is the Chinese endgame? What are they hoping to gain from supporting Russia? And how is this connected to your Tesla? To understand that, we must understand the Chinese subscription model!
Are the Chinese taking over management of the Middle East? Have Sweden given up on NATO? Why was I completely wrong about Bakhmut? Read all the answers in this year’s Great Game!